A while back, Jodi and I watched a Netflix original show called, "Chef’s Table."

Now, you might already know that I grew up in a French restaurant.

(Yes, literally. From the time I was 6 until I ran away from home at 15 my mom and step-dad owned a restaurant. Every morning we'd get up and I'd go to school. After school until 10pm we'd be at the restaurant doing chores, doing homework or otherwise staying out of the way...for 9 years.)

So, when I watched Chef's Table, I did have a little "flashing-back" to the old times.

Specifically, I learning something about cooking that I still use to this day:

Mise en place

(French pronunciation: [mi za ‘plas])

It's French.

The way I learned it, it means to "put things in their place." So, to this day as I'm cooking - or doing virtually ANYthing else - I arrange the ingredients and tools needed for cooking. Before I start cooking!

It's a habit that has served me. And, this is why I'm writing to you this weekend. On MONDAY we will coach Get Momentum members worldwide how they can:

Mise en place is a way to describe the single most important trait of top performers: their habits.

Every episode in that Netflix program has the unrelenting commitment to excel in their standards, routines, and habits.

They call mise en place a “way of life” and I heard one chef say that it’s the art of slowing things down in order to speed up.

Here's how it translates into my life:

MEETING A NEW CLIENT

Before coaching a new client, I go online to research the person I'll be speaking with...

Yes that means I Google them, I search on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. If they've written a book, recorded a TED talk, or publish a podcast, I spend some time with them before our call. If I know someone who knows the person I'm meeting with, I call or video chat with them to find out anything I can.

WHY? Easy, if I know what they're working on and interested in, we could have a more meaningful conversation. (Not a guarantee...but more likely!)

WRITING A NEW BOOK

Before writing, I spread out a large sheet of blank paper, and lay out all my ideas, quotes and books I want to reference.

Seeing it all laid out helps me connect all the dots in my mind. The writing comes "more naturally" after that.

220 NIGHTS ON THE ROAD EVERY YEAR

Before traveling, I lay out everything I'm packing on my bed, so I can see it all.

I pack the same way each time, so I know where my work supplies are as well as my clothes, shoes, etc. I can find things in my suitcase with my eyes closed! And, when I walk on stage at a conference or sit down in a board room with an executive leadership team, everything I could need is there... mise en place.

Here's the amazing thing, and I believe the chef at YOUR favorite restaurant would agree:

The more organized I am on the front side, the more open and spontaneous I can be in the moment.

Bottom line: Using the mise en place philosophy lets me be more creative with the salt, oil, and heat I have at the ready!

ABOUT

Think. Different.

Now is the time to question not just HOW you do things, or WHAT you do...but WHY you do it. Improvement and Purpose go hand-in-hand.

With any change you want to make or any habit you want to build, having a strong "Statement of Purpose" will help you navigate a world that is:

ever changing

ever challenging

ever opportunistic

ever open.

Engaging and serving people throughout their lives and to advance the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy philosophy to coach self-reflective, innovative, principled, and insightful leaders change themselves...to change their world.